War hero wins the battle of Trafalgar Square - but only for six months

The statue of a Battle of Britain hero will be allowed to stand on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Council bosses had originally decreed the spot should be used to display only 'provocative contemporary art'.

The memorial to Sir Keith Park, they claimed, was 'too traditional.'

But campaigners have forced Westminster Council into a U-turn.

They argued the figure of the late Air Chief Marshal should be erected to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain next year.

The statue will now be placed on the plinth for the next six months until a permanent home is found.

Sir Keith was dubbed the Defender of London for his role in the fighter defence against the Luftwaffe's air attacks on the capital.

Planners initially argued that a statue of the pilot would have an 'adverse impact' on its surroundings.

They maintained that the fourth plinth should be reserved for contemporary works.

Campaigners, including novelist Frederick Forsyth, former SAS chief General Sir Michael Rose and London Mayor Boris Johnson, said no public space should be reserved for just one type of art.

Within weeks more than 2,500 had written to the council demanding that the the statue of Sir Keith be displayed in Trafalgar Square.

Hero: Previous plans to honour Sir Keith Park were rejected

And on Thursday officials decided to allow the memorial to take its place on the empty plinth.

Yesterday Alastair Moss, chairman of the planning and city
development committee, said: 'I feel it is important that we recognise
the huge contribution Sir Keith made in helping to defend Britain, and
in particular the capital, from the Nazis during our darkest hour.'

It is expected that later this year the bronze statue - by sculptor
Les Johnson - will be placed permanently in nearby Waterloo Place.

The statue portrays the New Zealand-born war hero looking upwards and eastwards - the direction from which enemy planes came.

A spokesman for Boris Johnson said: 'We are very pleased. We will be
interrupting the Fourth Plinth programme of contemporary art but we
feel this is warranted given the exceptional circumstances.'

Sir Keith fought in the First World War at Gallipoli and The Somme, before joining the RAF in 1918.

He retired in 1946 and was promoted to Air Chief Marshal. He died in his country of birth in 1975.

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War hero wins the battle of Trafalgar Square - but only for six months